The present invention relates to magnetic tape-based data storage systems, and more particularly, this invention relates to a magnetic recording tape writing apparatus having write transducers each with at least three layers of coils.
In magnetic storage systems, magnetic transducers read data from and write data onto magnetic recording media. Data is written on the magnetic recording media by moving a magnetic recording transducer to a position over the media where the data is to be stored. The magnetic recording transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes the data into the magnetic media. Data is read from the media by similarly positioning the magnetic read transducer and then sensing the magnetic field of the magnetic media. Read and write operations may be independently synchronized with the movement of the media to ensure that the data can be read from and written to the desired location on the media.
An important and continuing goal in the data storage industry is that of increasing the density of data stored on a medium. For tape storage systems, that goal has led to increasing the track and linear bit density on recording tape, and decreasing the thickness of the magnetic tape medium. However, the development of small footprint, higher performance tape drive systems has created various problems in the design of a tape head assembly for use in such systems.
In a tape drive system, the drive moves the magnetic tape over the surface of the tape head at high speed, where multiple write transducers operate at the same time to write data to the tape. However, as the spacing between the write transducers becomes smaller and smaller, problems, such as crosstalk, tend to emerge more frequently.
Crosstalk is a phenomenon that occurs when two adjacent write transducers perform writing operations at about the same time. Particularly, crosstalk is present where the written portion for a first write transducer is affected by the magnetic flux created by an adjacent second write transducer, thereby degrading or otherwise adversely affecting the written information from the first write transducer. For example, stray flux generated by a powered write transducer will take a path from the top pole to the bottom pole of the write transducer, in the surrounding space. If a second write transducer is present and close to the first write transducer, the stray flux of the powered write transducer will pass through the second write transducer, taking a path through the top and bottom poles of the second writing. As the flux passes through the second write transducer structure, a portion of it also passes through the gap of the second write transducer, and can alter the pattern written by the second write transducer, leading to degradation of the written data pattern.
The write transducers do not need to be active simultaneously; crosstalk may emerge even upon performing writing operations within a few nanoseconds of each other, depending on the write gap of the particular head being used.